Hoosiers51
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posted
So I have had these EXTREME cravings for mac n cheese lately. I "have" to eat it almost every day. That, or Mexican cheese dip. My mouth waters thinking of it. And it doesn't seem like an "unhealthy" craving, like when I crave scones or something.
In both of these, what I am craving is the cheese sauce. That is the part of the mac n cheese I crave, not the noodles. It is not a carbs craving. I have cut out sugar from my diet, and I never really crave carbs at all.
I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I was craving in it....protein? fat?
Soooo.....something occured to me. If you look at a list of foods that have the highest ratio of lysine to arginine, (which is good for viruses and also supposedly the mystery bug...you should eat those foods and avoid foods with a low ratio, which means they are high in arginine), dairy is at the top of the list. It blows away most other foods in this ratio.
If you want to strictly look at lysine content, fish and meats are higher than dairy, but they also have more arginine. So for the ratio, dairy is best. Could this explain my dairy cravings?
This WEIRDS me out!!!!!!
I have had the most bizarre cravings over the course of this illness. They are intense. And then I realize that they usually have to do with something.
Other things I have craved include raw garlic (which I ate raw for 4 days), tonic water, lemons, and salt.
So now I'm wondering if there is really something to this high lysine/low arginine diet that we have heard about sometimes. When I read recently that dairy was at the top of the list, I was like WOW! because it explained a lot.
Then there is the thing about the mystery bug. F Labs supposedly can culture it in arginine, so they said avoid arginine, go high in lysine if you want to counteract the arginine.
THEN, i realized that a lot of people I have talked to, when they were treating babesia (which may be "sort of" similar to the mystery bug) (or could it be that they were treating mystery bug a little too when they treated babs)....anyways, some of these people have told me all they could eat was ice cream during the babesia herxes. Once again, more dairy. (this may or may not be related.) Hmmmmmm.
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Hoosiers51
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You'll notice that yogurt is #1, but I generally hate yogurt, so maybe that's why I'm not craving it.
I have also been eating a lot of apples, apricots, avocadoes, and tomatoes recently. All lysine-rich foods. Weird! Reading this list is giving me the creeps...it's like my appetite is psychic.
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Tracy9
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13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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sutherngrl
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I use to crave salt, couldn't get enough; then more recently I craved cheese. However, right now, nothing seems very good to me.
You may be on to something. I think it makes sense that your body would crave what it needed.
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
I was having this problem --- then got some tests back. Found my Herpes Zoster was beating me up. So am tackling it and have started taking more L-Lysine (1000 mg twice/day).
Only been 4 days and I am feeling less cravings now...more balanced.
I still do the garlic thing due to candida problems.
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lymeinhell
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posted
It could also mean you are low in Vitamin D. Have you had your D25 levels checked? Low D is becoming somewhat of a phenomenon among all people.
I had similar 'dairy cravings' last December. I am lactose intolerant, so not much dairy in my diet ever.
My LLMD first thought it was yeast related (which it could also be - the yeast diet does not contain macaroni and cheese, or macaroni of any kind),but checked my D levels and found I was very low. (Mind you, I am not on antibiotics and have not been for several years now).
I wonder if you got out and got 20 minutes of sun each day, and added 4000mg of D3 a day to your regimen, whether these cravings would go away. Mine did. I was able to restore to healthy levels fairly quickly (2 mos).
-------------------- Julie _ _ ___ _ _ lymeinhell
Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed. Posts: 2258 | From a better place than I was 11 yrs ago | Registered: Sep 2003
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Leelee
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posted
Your theory and cravings are interesting.
I don't have any thing like that that I can relate too, though. I don't care much for dairy products at all.
The closest thing I have to a craving is for carbs, especially bread. It's been a hard thing to give up.
-------------------- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King,Jr Posts: 1573 | From Maryland | Registered: Feb 2009
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Hoosiers51
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Keebler,
The Mac and Cheese is from Amy's, which is an organic brand, and they have no preservatives, etc. It is the microwave one, so it isn't that "powdered cheese."
I've looked at the ingredients before...I think the cheese sauce is mostly cheese and milk, with a little butter.
It is even the Gluten Free one that I eat all the time. And I don't crave the noodles either. It's the sauce.
The cheese dip is from my local Mexican restaurant. I'm not sure what the restaurant puts in there, but it's a pretty "fresh" restaurant, so I'm hoping it's just cheese, half and half or cream, and the spices and veggies.
That seems to be what most of those restaurants use. Asadero cheese is the type of cheese they use if it is authentic. Or Jack cheese is a substitute. I hope they're not using one of those melty-blocks.
They sell tons of it, so I'm sure they make it often. I don't eat that Tostitos pre-packaged stuff, that grosses me out.
BUT, good thinking, because I thought the exact same thing as you. Why am I not just craving milk if this is a healthy craving?
But then, I read that cheese has a higher lysine/arginine ratio than regular milk.
BUT, I haven't figured out why I'm not craving yogurt, which is #1 on the list with the lysine/arginine ratio.
My guess is that it's because I hate yogurt (it's a texture thing). But actually, even that has looked way more appealing to me, and yesterday I almost ate some.
The Vitamin D idea is a good one.....I will have to look into that! Could be that too. I stopped sitting in the sun because of my minocycline (I became really sun sensitive), but I'm stopping it now so I'm eager to get back out there.
Tracy, yes....chocolate ice cream would count. Maybe you need the seratonin too with the chocolate thing. Lord knows you have enough stress in your life!
Thanks for the rest of the comments too. I am very interested in this. My doctor just recently decided to test me for viruses because of my fatigue (MDL labs), so we'll see what comes up!
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
I went through a fresh mozarella craving back in the fall, and I seemed to be shedding hair a lot too.
It turned out to be low vitamin D for me. I don't like milk or very many other dairy products, so I guess I just turned to a food that I'm willing to eat.
For the 3 months prior, I had not been able to eat any form of dairy at all due to fat content and gall bladder problems, so it made sense that I was having nutritional deficits.
I tend to trust my cravings, my body is smarter than my taste buds when it comes to nutritional needs!!
take care, kp
Posts: 394 | From tinton falls nj | Registered: Jul 2007
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Hoosiers51
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posted
Thanks for the info.
After I read the lysine/arginine link I posted above and saw cheeses as #2, I decided to go buy some Lysine supplements and start taking them.
And now based on you guys' recommendations, I'm gonna take my D-3 more diligently, because there definitely might be something to that! I had been slacking on my D-3 lately. Makes sense...So thank you!
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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Keebler
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posted
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Hoosiers,
Glad to hear that the Mac and Cheese is from Amy's. They do make good products - and good that's it gluten-free. I had thought about that but actually did not mention it. (Still, I'll bet a bowl for four would do fine as a single serving the way I could tear into it !)
You can call that restaurant and find out what they put in that Mexican cheese dip.. And - besides any additives that might be there - it could just be that it TASTES good. We human like taste. Hmmmm.
I will say that I thought I was getting healthful burritos from a Mexican restaurant that was local and it turns out they add gluten and MSG from some prepared spice they put in it. I had no idea - well, I figured it out the hard way but it sure did taste great.
Back to the cheese, I know that if I buy cheese - any cheese - that it will not last two days. I think, for myself, it's the saltiness combined with the fat. It just tastes good and an easy chuck of cheese can be a meal if I let it. No cooking, no dishes to wash - - but I know myself. I just can't stick to a normal serving for a day. Cheese does have a tempting call.
And - it is power packed with protein. You may well be needing more amino acids or the ones you suspect.
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[ 04-06-2009, 05:27 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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posted
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Although I can't "do" dairy products as they increase phlegm and gunk up my throat and ears and phlegm can be a breeding ground for germs (but other foods or lemon can help cut that) . . .
there some interesting points about dairy in this essay:
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Hoosiers51
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posted
Keebler,
Thanks for posting that article.
Yes, I'm addicted to some of the Amy's products. Oh well, at least it's a semi-good vice!
I tend to feel worse (weaker) when I cut back anything animal-based from my diet entirely (i.e., meat or dairy). I'm sure the vegetarian thing is okay for some folks, but maybe my body isn't meant to do it.
True, I guess I shouldn't rule out taste as a cause for cravings! BUT, I'll tell you, these are so intense that it seems to go beyond just taste. But maybe the specific food within the dairy category that I crave is based on taste (cheese over yogurt).
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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Keebler
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posted
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Remember that your brain needs calories and fat. It will crave, too.
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